Southbridge, Massachusetts
| Southbridge, Massachusetts | ||
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| Town | ||
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| Nickname(s): The Eye of the Commonwealth, | ||
 Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts. |
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 Southbridge, Massachusetts
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| Coordinates: 42°04′30″N 72°02′02″W / 42.07500°N 72.03389°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Massachusetts | |
| County | Worcester | |
| Settled | 1730 | |
| Incorporated | 1816 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council-manager | |
| • Town Manager | Ron San Angelo | |
| • Town Council | Miguel Estrada Shaun Moriarty (Chairman) Esteban Carrasco(vice-Chairman) Gus Steeves Kristen Auclair Denise Clemence Albert Vecchia Monique Manna Conrad L. Vandal |
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| Area | ||
| • Total | 20.9 sq mi (54.0 km2) | |
| • Land | 20.4 sq mi (52.7 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2) | |
| Elevation | 489 ft (149 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 16,719 | |
| • Density | 800/sq mi (310/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 01550 | |
| Area code(s) | 508 / 774 | |
| FIPS code | 25-63270 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618383 | |
| Website | www |
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The Town of Southbridge has a city form of government with a city council legislative body, but via a statute calls itself a Town. It is located in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,719 at the 2010 census. Southbridge is one of fourteen Massachusetts municipalities that have applied for, and been granted, city forms of government but wish to retain "The town of” in their official names.
The area was initially inhabited by the Nipmuck and Mohegan tribes, with the Quinebaug River dividing their territories. As early as 1638, John Winthrop, Jr. purchased a tract for mining lead at what is now Leadmine Road in Sturbridge (it was thought at the time that where there was lead, there should be silver nearby).
Southbridge was first settled by Europeans in 1730. In 1801 a poll parish, named the Second Religious Society of Charlton, and popularly called Honest Town, was formed from the west part of Dudley, the southwest part of Charlton and the southeast part of Sturbridge. In 1816 this parish was incorporated to become the township of Southbridge. Among the first settlers was Moses Marcy, who owned a home on the site of what is now Notre Dame church and was elected to Congress, and the Dennison family. Water power from the Quinebaug River made Southbridge a good location for sawmills and gristmills in the 18th century, and textile mills in the 19th century. After the Civil War, many immigrants of Irish and French Canadian descent came to work and live there; by the 1930s they had been joined by Poles, Greeks, Italians and others.
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